Devils: Finale could be last game with franchise for Martin Brodeur, Jaromir Jagr

By TOM GULITTI

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Finale could be duo’s last game with Devils

Today the Devils’ Jaromir Jagr, right, and Martin Brodeur likely will conclude their only season as teammates.

NEWARK — The storybook ending for Martin Brodeur and Jaromir Jagr would have seen the two future Hall of Famers riding off into the sunset together after lifting the Stanley Cup.

Their season as teammates fell well short of that with the Devils failing to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in four years. So, they’ll close out the season this afternoon at Prudential Center with both possibly playing their final games in a Devils’ uniform.

"I spent a whole year with him not worrying about him scoring on me, but having fun with him," Brodeur said Saturday. "It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t compete further in the season than what we’re going to have [today]."

Brodeur, who will turn 42 on May 6, isn’t sure what will happen this summer. He could sign with another team after he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, he could return to the Devils for one more season or he could retire.

Jagr, who already is 42, repeatedly has said that he intends to play in the NHL next season and he’d like to re-sign with the Devils. Other teams might try to lure him away, however, and until he has a signed contract you never know.

Regardless, there appears to be a good chance that this will be Brodeur and Jagr’s only season as teammates.

"Too bad we couldn’t finish a little bit better," Jagr said.

Both were selected in the first round of the 1990 draft — Jagr fifth by Pittsburgh and Brodeur 20th by the Devils — and have gone on to careers that now have them part of the conversation about the best to play the game. While Jagr has moved around quite a bit, playing for seven NHL teams and even going to Russia for three seasons, Brodeur has been a fixture in New Jersey.

"I think we’ve all learned from him a little bit," Brodeur said of Jagr. "Even though he’s my age, I think with what he’s accomplished in different organizations and going to Russia he’s got a lot of experience in different areas. And definitely for me because we’re so close in age we relate a lot to different things. It was really interesting to spend a whole year with him."

Jagr said there’s "no question about it" that Brodeur is the best goaltender of all time because he was able to remain at the top of his game for so long. A three-time Stanley Cup winner and four-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, Brodeur is the NHL’s all-time leader with 687 wins and 124 shutouts.

"The greatness you find out if you can adjust to the time," Jagr said. "There’s a lot of people who are great for a short time, but if you stay the same everything is changing and you’re not going to be effective. So, you have to change. You have to be always ahead of the time.

"Like the Rolling Stones, they’ve been able to play for a long time. They’re still a very famous [rock] group after 30, 40 years. That’s greatness."

If Brodeur is like a Rolling Stone, Brodeur said Jagr is like "a nice bottle of wine."

"For me, it’s been impressive how good he [still] is," Brodeur said.

A two-time Cup winner and recipient of the Hart Trophy in 1999, Jagr ranks seventh all time with 705 goals and 1,753 points, and is one assist behind Gordie Howe for eighth place in NHL history with 1,048.

He leads the Devils this season with 65 points and 41 assists, and is second on the team in goals with 24.

"From my era, I played against Mario [Lemieux], I played against Wayne Gretzky, all these guys that were unbelievable," Brodeur said. "But I think for a guy my age that I followed, [Jagr’s] the top player that I played against."

Devils: Finale could be last game with franchise for Martin Brodeur, Jaromir Jagr

Today the Devils’ Jaromir Jagr, right, and Martin Brodeur likely will conclude their only season as teammates.

By TOM GULITTI

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

Finale could be duo’s last game with Devils

NEWARK — The storybook ending for Martin Brodeur and Jaromir Jagr would have seen the two future Hall of Famers riding off into the sunset together after lifting the Stanley Cup.

Their season as teammates fell well short of that with the Devils failing to qualify for the playoffs for the third time in four years. So, they’ll close out the season this afternoon at Prudential Center with both possibly playing their final games in a Devils’ uniform.

"I spent a whole year with him not worrying about him scoring on me, but having fun with him," Brodeur said Saturday. "It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t compete further in the season than what we’re going to have [today]."

Brodeur, who will turn 42 on May 6, isn’t sure what will happen this summer. He could sign with another team after he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, he could return to the Devils for one more season or he could retire.

Jagr, who already is 42, repeatedly has said that he intends to play in the NHL next season and he’d like to re-sign with the Devils. Other teams might try to lure him away, however, and until he has a signed contract you never know.

Regardless, there appears to be a good chance that this will be Brodeur and Jagr’s only season as teammates.

"Too bad we couldn’t finish a little bit better," Jagr said.

Both were selected in the first round of the 1990 draft — Jagr fifth by Pittsburgh and Brodeur 20th by the Devils — and have gone on to careers that now have them part of the conversation about the best to play the game. While Jagr has moved around quite a bit, playing for seven NHL teams and even going to Russia for three seasons, Brodeur has been a fixture in New Jersey.

"I think we’ve all learned from him a little bit," Brodeur said of Jagr. "Even though he’s my age, I think with what he’s accomplished in different organizations and going to Russia he’s got a lot of experience in different areas. And definitely for me because we’re so close in age we relate a lot to different things. It was really interesting to spend a whole year with him."

Jagr said there’s "no question about it" that Brodeur is the best goaltender of all time because he was able to remain at the top of his game for so long. A three-time Stanley Cup winner and four-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender, Brodeur is the NHL’s all-time leader with 687 wins and 124 shutouts.

"The greatness you find out if you can adjust to the time," Jagr said. "There’s a lot of people who are great for a short time, but if you stay the same everything is changing and you’re not going to be effective. So, you have to change. You have to be always ahead of the time.

"Like the Rolling Stones, they’ve been able to play for a long time. They’re still a very famous [rock] group after 30, 40 years. That’s greatness."

If Brodeur is like a Rolling Stone, Brodeur said Jagr is like "a nice bottle of wine."

"For me, it’s been impressive how good he [still] is," Brodeur said.

A two-time Cup winner and recipient of the Hart Trophy in 1999, Jagr ranks seventh all time with 705 goals and 1,753 points, and is one assist behind Gordie Howe for eighth place in NHL history with 1,048.

He leads the Devils this season with 65 points and 41 assists, and is second on the team in goals with 24.

"From my era, I played against Mario [Lemieux], I played against Wayne Gretzky, all these guys that were unbelievable," Brodeur said. "But I think for a guy my age that I followed, [Jagr’s] the top player that I played against."